Former Toledo SOUP winners continue to impact neighborhoods

It’s just an empty ice cream pail covered in paper marked “Toledo SOUP,” but it once held a donation of $734, enough to fund a basketball league at the Frederick Douglass Community Association that kept 120 young men off the streets on Friday and Saturday nights last summer.

Board member Brandy Fuller, far left, and interim director Teneashia Cunningham, far right, with some students at the Frederick Douglass Community Association. Toledo Soup helped the center fund a summer basketball league last year. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney

“It looks like a bucket to everyone else, but to us it’s a trophy,” said Cunningham, the community center’s interim director.

SOUP is an international movement of microgrant fundraising events held in more than 100 cities worldwide. Toledo SOUP started in 2012. Since then, six events have raised more than $7,000 for seven community initiatives ranging from art programs, urban farming, human trafficking rehabilitation and small business development.

At each event, several finalists present their projects while attendees eat and vote. The winning project receives all the funds raised during the night through admission, donations, raffles and bake sales.

When votes were tallied last June, Frederick Douglass, which is located on Indiana Avenue, had the most.

The Toledo SOUP bucket Interim Director Teneashia Cunningham keeps in her office at the Frederick Douglass Community Association. “It looks like a bucket to everyone else, but to us it’s a trophy,” she said. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney

“We were so over the moon,” said board member Brandy Fuller. “We have a number of gangs in this neighborhood, but basketball is a universal language. It brings people together.”

She recalled a time her son intervened when one boy pulled a gun on another. The boy with the gun knew her son from basketball and put his weapon down.

“That could have been a scary ending, but sports bridged it,” she said.

With the Toledo SOUP funds, Cunningham purchased team T-shirts, new nets, basketballs and a few team meals.

“It was awesome,” Cunningham said. “Our turnout was big and getting bigger. We had the structure, but we didn’t have the look of structure. We didn’t have jerseys or matching shirts.”

The players, mostly boys age 16-24, come from across the city, Cunningham said. Games start around 8 p.m. and can last until 2 a.m.

“We try to keep kids off the streets,” Cunningham said. “The whole purpose of it is to break those territorial lines. We have kids coming from the East Side, the North End. They see it as playing ball, we see it as breaking the lines.

“There’s a lot of gang violence during the summertime. I was trying to give them something to do. I knew I could get the draw with basketball.

“The older guys are helping the younger guys, building bridges and closing gaps a little bit. Some of them, once they start mentoring, they feel like they’ve done something and given back so there’s a lot of positivity.”

The first Toledo SOUP took place March 4, 2012. Maxwell Austin of Glass City Pedicabs won $1,047, of which he used $800 for insurance and the rest for spare parts.

Maxwell Austin of Glass City Pedicabs rides during the 2014 Old West End Festival parade. Toledo Free Press File Photo

“[That] doesn’t seem like a lot for some people, but for someone like me who has put every personal dime into this, it’s the difference between me operating or not,” Austin told Toledo Free Press at the time.

Three years later, Austin’s enthusiasm for Toledo SOUP has not flagged.

“I just can’t say enough nice things about it,” Austin said. “You can take every nice word in the dictionary and I’ll say them all.

“If it wasn’t for Toledo SOUP, I don’t know how long I would have continued to wait or struggle for that amount of money. Eventually it would have happened, but it jump-started my business quicker than it would have.”

In 2012, Austin had two pedicabs in his Ohio West End garage. Today, he has a fleet of six with plans to add two more. He has a rented space, advertisers, 20 contracted employees, a growing wedding business and gigs for out-of-state events like the Kentucky Derby and Indianapolis 500. Next up, he’s working to launch Atlantic Pedicab Fleet, a conglomerate of pedicab businesses from Detroit, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, Columbus, Boston and more, who travel to events together.

“We’ve grown and so has the city of Toledo,” Austin said. “Downtown has added way more restaurants and bars than were there in 2010 [when I started]. It’s really picked up. UpTown has grown too. That’s really nice to see.”

Austin said he’s excited about the future of Toledo and has no plans to leave his adopted hometown.

“I could go anywhere I want, but I love the people in Toledo,” Austin said. “You’ve got some naysayers that say, ‘Toledo sucks,’ but for the most part, man, there’s a huge group of diverse people trying to make a difference in Toledo, pushing for expansion and growth and new ideas. It’s a wonderful place.”

As a way to show his appreciation to Toledo SOUP, Austin now pays it forward by donating $100 to each new winner.

“When I put my idea out there to have pedicabs in Toledo, someone told me that was the dumbest idea they’d ever heard and it would never work,” Austin said. “I didn’t let that crush my dream. I went to Toledo SOUP and it exploded.”

The $858 Audrey Johnson took home from the second Toledo SOUP in September 2012, was used to take a group of eight Toledo youth to Chicago, most for the first time, to learn about Chinese culture.

Audrey Johnson of Art Around Town, Maxwell Austin of Glass City Pedicabs and Roshawn Jones of Soul City Boxing and Wrestling. Toledo Free Press Photo by Christie Materni

Johnson is the founder and director of the Jamil Lewis Multicultural Center for the Arts. Art Around Town is a program at the center offering creative and educational art activities for area youth.

The Chicago trip was part of a Hostelling International program called Cultural Kitchen. The kids stayed overnight at a hostel where they visited Chinatown, prepared a meal of Chinese dishes and gave a presentation to fellow travelers about Chinese culture.

Next up for Jamil Lewis is building a greenhouse and sculpture garden at a renovated mansion on Winthrop Street, slated for this fall, Johnson said.

Johnson is a vocal proponent of Toledo SOUP.

“I always tell as many people as I can about Toledo SOUP because I believe it’s one of the best organically developed, crowd-funded, locally driven processes,” Johnson said. “There’s no political connection and it’s always kept fresh with people who are guiding the process. It keeps it honest by allowing the community to decide where the funds should be used for that particular time.”

Even finalists who don’t win gain valuable feedback and awareness of their projects, Johnson said.

“That’s how beautiful the process is,” she said. “Beyond what you get from the main crowd-funding source, other people step up to the plate and say, ‘Hey, maybe I need to support that.’”

That happened during the September 2012 Toledo SOUP when local a doctor in the audience offered to help raise money for one of the finalists, a free clinic in need of new equipment.

That offer allowed Art Around Town to win Toledo SOUP instead.

“Because that happened, we ended up winning,” Johnson said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

The Art of Hope

Only one Toledo SOUP event was held in 2013. The winner was The Art of Hope, a South Toledo-based program offering temporary housing, counseling and mentoring to women recovering from sex trafficking. The program has worked with about 40 women since 2013, said Genevieve Abalos, who started the program with Tina Robinson in a house owned by Vision Ministries, a South Toledo church.

The Art of Hope received $1,015 from Toledo SOUP, which it used to purchase exterior and interior paint for the house, which was then painted by volunteers.

“It meant everything to us. It was such a blessing,” Robinson said. “We had some donation money from the church but it wasn’t enough to take care of everything. When we got that, it was like a weight lifted off our shoulders.”

The Art of Hope will soon disband as Abalos is moving out of state. However, Robinson plans to continue work at the house. She’s starting a nonprofit called Butterflies 15, aiming to help women recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

“I’m a recovering addict myself,” Robinson said. “I want to give back to these women who are where I used to be.”

Butterflies 15 will use a five-stage, spiritually based recovery program developed by Robinson, who said she has been clean since 2004 and has gone back to school to become a social worker.

The five stages are Butterflies in the Sand, Butterflies in the Wind, Butterflies in the Sun and Butterflies in the Field followed by aftercare, Robinson said.

“Sand is you’re stuck. You want to get out of the rut you’re in, but you’re stuck,” Robinson said. “Wind is you have roots. You’re free from the sand and now you’re able to fly a little. Sun is a new dawning, a new beginning. You’re starting to change, you’re reaching out more, progressing more in your recovery. Field is you’re free, you’re finally free. You have all the tools you need to stay free. Then the next step is aftercare, where I will help them with housing, applications for jobs, resumes, all that.”

Right now, Robinson is searching for partnerships and working on house repairs, which lost heat after the furnace caught fire. The floors have been torn up; she plans to write Bible verses on the wood and shellac over them.

“I just started this at the beginning of this month,” she said. “It’s still a little baby. But this was set into me, God telling me what I need to do. So I’m doing it as he’s telling me to do it.”

Robinson said Abalos supports her change of focus.

“The Art of Hope was not really moving forward like we wanted it to. There were some major things we were not able to take care of,” Robinson said. “She has known my passion since the start.”

New Life Urban Agriculture

The first Toledo SOUP of 2014 came with another first — a tie.

Derek Bunch

Derek Bunch of New Life Urban Agriculture and the Glass City Goat Gals got an equal number of votes at the March 9 event and split the $2,168 pot.

Bunch’s plan was to use the funds to buy mushroom cultures, filtration units, lighting and other equipment needed to start local production of high-quality organic mushrooms in his Old West End home.

“For me it felt good that people believed in this plan I had,” Bunch said. “When you win, it’s a confirmation that something is a good idea.”

As it turned out, mushrooms didn’t work.

“In the first month, I had mold issues because the humidity has to be so high,” Bunch said. “I ended up reverting back to what I know, which is tomatoes, basil, peppers, carrots and strawberries. Mushrooms are still a part of it, but much smaller. But that Toledo SOUP grant gave me everything I needed to complete doing what I’m doing now.”

His goal is to sell his produce to local restaurants, food co-ops, food trucks and farmers markets.

Bunch first heard about Toledo SOUP the day after he had to shut down his former growing operation because he lost the space he was renting.

“I had to start over from zero,” Bunch said. “It was one of those things like, ‘What do I have to lose?’”

Glass City Goat Gals

Elizabeth Harris and Unique Jones of Glass City Goat Gals are an example of persistence paying off. Their project was a finalist at the inaugural Toledo SOUP, but didn’t win.

“It was disappointing, but made us see we needed to dig a little more, lay more groundwork, have a better business plan,” Harris said.

Two years later, they won.

“After losing, winning felt good. And it was also a confirmation that we’re on to something,” Harris said. “Once we won, it started a snowball effect of contacts and resources.”

The Gals haven’t yet spent their Toledo SOUP money — they’ve been waiting on city permits and approvals for construction — but still plan to use it for fencing for their 10 goats, hopefully by this spring, Harris said.

They are building their urban farm on Mentor Street in the central city. Both have degrees in urban agriculture and sustainability. They offer a 4-H Club and hands-on, STEM-based (science, technology, engineering, math) educational programs, which they bring to local community centers and soon to Moody Manor.

“We want the farm to be an educational resource for our community,” Harris said. “The children need to see the connection between nature and their lives.”

Students study at Soul City Boxing and Wrestling on Junction Avenue. Photo Courtesy Roshawn Jones

After winning $1,278 in October, owner Roshawn Jones announced he would donate $100 each to the other two finalists.

“It was shocking and amazing,” Jones said. “People there were nice. It was so touching that I kind of wanted everybody to win.”

With the funds, Jones was able to purchase a laptop and three iPads for the Junction Avenue gym’s afterschool tutoring program. He also had two desktops and a laptop donated by people he met through Toledo SOUP.

Jones has about 55 kids who are regulars at Soul City, which just this week became a nonprofit.

“Their grades are monitored very closely,” Jones said. “Some of them have parents who don’t push them, so that’s what we do.”

Paula Ross was among the original people who advocated bringing the SOUP model to Toledo. Her husband, Johnathon Ross, is the physician who offered to help fundraise for the free clinic.

“It’s just wonderful,” Ross said. “It’s unique for Toledo but it’s part of something that’s international. I think they are doing a terrific job.”

Ross would like to see SOUP expand regionally.

“There’s room for some regional projects,” Ross said. “Some communities have more than one group. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of need and I think people like to connect to worthy causes where they can make a difference with a small contribution. There’s just lots of room for creativity, I think.”

The next Toledo SOUP is set for 5 p.m. March 8 at Toledo School for the Arts, 333 14th St. For more information, visit toledosoup.com.

Two projects tie for win at Toledo SOUP

On March 9, five local organizations gave short presentations to attendees at Toledo SOUP as they vied for a chance to earn a community-funded microgrant.

When the votes were counted, it was a tie between Glass City Goat Girls and New Life Urban Agriculture.

Kate Swartz gives a presentation about Sibshops, an organization that offers workshops for kids who have siblings with special needs, at Toledo SOUP on March 9. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney

The event, which filled Toledo School for the Arts’ cafeteria, raised a record $2,168, allowing each winner to take home $1,084. The funds came from admissions, raffle tickets, a bake sale and donations, including $500 from the Lucas County Commissioners.

“I’m totally cool with a tie,” Toledo SOUP committee member Ryan Bunch said. “Every time when we get the initial proposals I just wish, reading through them, that we could fund every single one. So to me, the more of these projects that get funded the better. And it worked out great that we were able to raise enough money that each of them got what would have been the normal award anyway.”

The first Toledo SOUP was held in 2012. The March 9 event was the fourth event and the first tie — although the winner of the last Toledo SOUP won by one vote, Bunch said.

“We’ve always had really good attendance, but it’s kind of a hard event to explain and it seems like people are finally starting to get what it’s about,” Bunch said. “It was just really cool to look around the room and see everyone smiling. It’s awesome. This is real grassroots community action.”

Elizabeth Harris and Unique Jones of Glass City Goat Girls presented at a previous Toledo SOUP, but didn’t win. They started their project anyway.

“We got the land, got the goats, got the kids, got an adviser,” Harris said. “We’ve done so much so we’re so excited. It’s our time now.”

Both will soon graduate from Owens Community College’s urban agriculture program. They plan to use the Toledo SOUP money to build a fence for their goats at their project site on Mentor Street in the central city, near where both grew up. The location features a goat farm, butterfly house and growing plots.

“We have gotten so far away from agriculture, but this is the agriculture state,” Jones said. “Getting back to the basics is one of our major things. And teaching sustainability. Teaching people they can grow their own food and save water for their garden. There’s so many things you could be doing in agriculture to save money.”

The pair plan to offer 4-H programming and use the farm as an outdoor learning laboratory with an emphasis on STEM initiatives.

“Science, technology, engineering and math — those are things you have to have hands-on, real-life applications,” Harris said. “We’re going to try to help kids make that connection. We also feel it could give them different ideas for the future that could lead them to different careers.”

There are lots of possibilities for future expansion, includes birdwatching, beekeeping and Future Farmers of America programming, they said.

Derek Bunch of New Life Urban Agriculture plans to use his Toledo SOUP funds to buy the mushroom cultures and filtration units needed to start local production of high-quality organic mushrooms. His goal is to have mushrooms by summer with a long-term goal of building a full-size indoor vertical farm, including produce and fish.

Derek Bunch

“I’m really humbled and hugely excited,” said Bunch, whose brother Ryan helped organize the event. “I’ve been working on this for the past six years and I don’t want it to die. Nobody else is doing it.

“Six years ago, if you typed indoor farming into Google — nothing,” Bunch said. “Now type in vertical farms and it’s just an explosion. I really feel like I’ve been on the forefront of this well before it was even a thing and I really want to keep that going. If they are doing it in Chicago where land is expensive, we can do it in Toledo where land is incredibly cheap.”

Bunch had started growing tomatoes in his Old West End home, but was forced to stop because he couldn’t afford to keep going. The next day, he saw the call for submissions to Toledo SOUP.

“It was like one of those things, like ‘What do I have to lose?’” Bunch said.

Eventually he’d like to move the project out of his home and into its own building. His goal is to sell the mushrooms to local restaurants, food co-ops and at farmers’ markets.

“There’s a small market there right now and what I really want to do is stick a wedge in that and just really pry open the local food market and get things starting to be produced locally here — especially year-round,” Bunch said. “We have a lot of summer gardens, but we don’t have anything in the winter time. I really want to see local produce 365 days a year going into our local eateries. That way we can easily track where our food is coming from and the money goes back into our local economy.”

Before each Toledo SOUP, a panel of guest judges reviews the submitted proposals and chooses five finalists, who are invited to present at the event. Attendees listen to the presentations and vote for their favorites. The top vote-getter gets all the money raised that night.

Past winners have included Art of Hope, which helps women transition out of human trafficking and away from domestic violence; Art Around Town, which provides creative and educational art activities for area youth; and Glass City Pedicabs, Toledo’s first 100 percent green transportation company.

Other project proposals presented March 9 were a public art project to beautify Main Street in East Toledo; Fertile Grounds Radio, an Internet blog radio broadcast focusing on the Toledo community; and Sibshops, an organization offering workshops for children with siblings with special needs.

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